The invention is related to wireless communications. More particularly, the invention is related to methods of analyzing wireless network data for optimizing system border placement.
Wireless mobile communications networks provide service to customer through the use of antennas. Groups of transmit and receive antennas are defined and may be referred to as a cell. Each cell covers a geographical region in which a customer can access the services of the communications network. A group of cells are controlled by a switch that performs the necessary routing of calls and services. Depending on the number of cells, a wireless network may consist of several switches.
In a wireless network, performance data and statistics can be collected on a device, cell or system basis for use in analyzing system performance. Performance data may include, but is not limited to, signal coverage, signal quality, successful or failed cell events, etc. Normally, such data is subsequently downloaded from the local storage media to an off-line processing tool. The data is usually displayed in charts, graphs and, at times, on maps for use in performance-based analysis.
Using charts and graphs is a convenient method for analyzing data in that statistical analysis can performed relatively easy on data in these formats. However, the correlation of performance data with the geographical location of cells in the system and with respect to public and private infrastructure in the service area in not possible with present formats. To overcome this inability, maps are used to plot the location of cells and represent the value of a function of parameters on a point basis.
Even though service is provided through a cell that has a single latitude and longitude, the customer could be elsewhere in the area covered by this cell. However, with the current use of maps, performance data is not distributed to locations away from the cell itself.
In addition, the maps may show the current status of a network by representing the values of network performance data, but displaying the development of performance data as function of time is not possible through a single-frame map.
Methods and/or systems that minimize hand-offs occurring between heavily used switches, thereby enhancing wireless service processing time and wireless system capacity would be desirable. What is apparently needed are methods and systems that can provide graphically distributed and temporal representations of wireless network data to assist wireless stewards in the analyzing of wireless network parameters and the development of wireless network characteristics.
The present invention provides cellular system designers and planners (hereafter referred to as xe2x80x9cstewardsxe2x80x9d) a method for determining switch assignments within regions served by plural switches. With the present invention, stewards can redefine switch borders based on system use data and/or patterns. Stewards may more effectively reassign cellular antennas to switches and/or base stations, and/or base stations to switches, using the method provided herein.
One aspect of the present invention provides a method of redefining switch borders within a wireless telecommunication system. In accordance with the method, a region comprising a plurality of switches and cell sites in need of border optimization is identified. Statistical data is collected for cellular sites. Contours defining wireless traffic within a region are generated using the statistical data and latitude/longitude information. Cellular site and switch assignments and/or reassignments are determined based on resulting contour information.
The statistical information may include data related to hand-offs into and out of the a cell antenna and/or a switch within a cellular network. Generation of contours defining a region comprise data needed for determining a redistribution of cell sites to switches within an investigated region.
Another aspect of the invention provides a system wherein a microprocessor is programmed to analyze statistical and identifying information (e.g., hand-off data, and/or lat/long info) for telecommunication equipment within a defined region. A means for rendering traffic contours within the identified region based on the identifying and/or statistical information generates contours using analytical results from the microprocessor.